1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a shielded electrical connector having a metal shell exhibiting excellent shielding and grounding effects.
2. The Related Art
For presently used electrical connectors, accumulated charges on the connector resulting from interference are commonly discharged through grounding legs thereof but electromagnetic waves generated from within the connector are allowed to radiate randomly. With an increasingly larger quantity of signals being transmitted at an increasingly higher transmission rate, the grounding route of such connectors cannot meet the demand.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,699, which is assigned to the same assignee as the present invention, discloses an electrical connector having grounding legs downwardly extending from a housing thereof for engaging with ground traces on a PCB and grounding clips protruding from a front face thereof for contacting a computer enclosure whereby accumulated charges thereon can be effectively discharged. However, electromagnetic waves generated from within the connector are not properly shielded.
As is known, a metal shell can shield external charges and prevent internal electromagnetic waves from radiating externally whereby grounding routes can expel charges more quickly thereby providing a more reliable transmission of electrical signals. Hence, the connector requires a shell to overcome the problems of electromagnetic interference.